A couple of very different stories have come to my attention this week that both demonstrate, in quite different ways, the power of social media and how it can be used against you.

The first is one of the more amusing social media stories of recent weeks. Kanye West joined Twitter on July 28th and quickly gained almost 500,000 followers. After waiting for four days he decided to follow one person. Just the one. And that person was…wait for it…Steven Holmes of Coventry. Now Steven didn’t ask to be followed by Kanye. But, seemingly at random, the singer chose him. Which led to a whole lot of people suddenly becoming very interested in young Steven. All rather amusing. But, as is typical of a press who love to be seen ridiculing the inanity of Twitter, much was made of some of Steven’s more, shall we say, everyday Tweets, such as “Drinking coffee at 2 in the morning isn’t a good idea.” Which all left me feeling a bit sorry for poor Steven. He didn’t ask to become the centre of worldwide attention for five minutes, it just happened. Since the event, he now has a lot more followers, but has only Tweeted twice, both reiterating has lack of desire for fame. Which makes him something of a hero in my book.

Kanye West, randomly shining a light on unsuspecting Tweeters

Still, the point is that some stuff that he said, for no reason other than the absolute random whim of a slightly crazy pop star, was broadcast to the world and, in some cases, derided. But the lesson that perhaps Stephen, and maybe all of us, could learn is that what you say on Twitter, Facebook et al really is public and anyone can use it to have a pop at you in any number of ways, if they so wish.

The other, perhaps more damaging, example came when it was discovered that US retailers, Target, had donated $150,000 to MN Forward, a pro-business group backing Republican candidate Tom Emmer. They say they donated the money because of his stance on tax and jobs. However, Emmer is also known for his anti-gay marriage views. Target, on their company website, state that “diversity is a core value we integrate into every area of our business”. Which could be seen as slightly conflicting. And has been, by a Facebook page that has attracted 46,000 fans, a petition set up by moveon.org and a host of Youtube videos of Target customers cutting up their storecards. The company have since apologised to the public and their staff, reiterating the company’s reasons for the donation, but the donation stands and the damage is done.

Target, exposed by the power of social media

So, here we have social media acting as a platform for whistleblowers, which has no doubt taught Target and other big brands and organisations that they must scrutinise their own dealings to the nth degree. They must leave no stone unturned to make sure that their dealings are watertight and cannot be pulled up on by staff or the public. Social media has the power to find, expose and rapidly spread any possibly wrongdoing.

Social media is an incredibly powerful medium, but these two examples prove that due care must be taken when using it.

Note: It seems that Kanye has unfollowed Steven. Heartbreaking stuff!

About the Author

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett is a Social Media Analyst for Social Media Library, responsible for developing the content within Social Media Library. Paul lives in a world of blogs, blogs and more blogs, scouring the web and plucking out the juiciest information he finds. Previous to this, he worked as a Music Press Officer. He is also a freelance writer, an organiser of Scrabble Sunday and blogs about stuff that he does here.